Air Force looking into new presidential jets

AUBREY COHE, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By AUBREY COHEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Updated 8:55 am, Friday, September 13, 2013

Both of the current primary presidential jets were built at Boeing's wide-body plant in Everett, Wash. This one returned to its birthplace on Feb. 17, 2012, bringing President Barack Obama for a speech to Boeing employees.

Photo: LINDSEY WASSON

Both of the current primary presidential jets were built at...

Douglas Aircraft built the first presidential airplane, the VC-54C "Sacred Cow," while Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office. It uses a C-54A fuselage and C-54B wings.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

Douglas Aircraft built the first presidential airplane, the VC-54C...

The Sacred Cow also included such customizations as unique ailerons, a conference room with a bulletproof window and an elevator to lift President Roosevelt in his wheelchair.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

The Sacred Cow also included such customizations as unique...

Roosevelt used the airplane only once, to fly to the USSR for the Yalta Conference in February 1945. President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, which established the Air Force as an independent service, aboard the Sacred Cow on July 26, 1947. He likely used this desk.

Photo: Truman Library

Roosevelt used the airplane only once, to fly to the USSR for the...

The president's bunk aboard the Sacred Cow is shown, circa 1946.

Photo: Truman Library

The president's bunk aboard the Sacred Cow is shown, circa 1946.

The Truman Library identifies this photo as being the stateroom of the Sacred Cow is shown, circa 1946, and also as the interior of Truman's subsequent airpalne "The Independence."

Photo: Truman Library

The Truman Library identifies this photo as being the stateroom of...

President Truman waving goodbye as he departs Boca Chica airport, in the Dominican Republic, aboard the Sacred Cow in 1948.

Photo: Truman Library

President Truman waving goodbye as he departs Boca Chica airport,...

In 1947, the Army Air Forces ordered the Sacred Cow's replacement, a military variation of the Douglas DC-6 known as the VC-188. The aft fuselage was converted into a stateroom, with the main cabin able to seat 24 or sleep 12. The VC-118 was commissioned into service on July 4, 1947 and nicknamed "Independence" for President Harry Truman’s hometown in Missouri.

Photo: Truman Library

In 1947, the Army Air Forces ordered the Sacred Cow's replacement,...

Photograph of President Truman on board the Independence, circa 1951.

Photo: Truman Library

Photograph of President Truman on board the Independence, circa 1951.

President Harry Truman on the stairs of the Independence.

Photo: Truman Library

President Harry Truman on the stairs of the Independence.

Part of the interior of the Independence, circa 1947.

Photo: Truman Library

Part of the interior of the Independence, circa 1947.

The Independence is shown at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Photo: U.S. Air Force Photo

The Independence is shown at the National Museum of the United...

The Independence is shown at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Photo: U.S. Air Force Photo

The Independence is shown at the National Museum of the United...

The Independence is shown at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Photo: U.S. Air Force Photo

The Independence is shown at the National Museum of the United...

The Lockheed VC-121E is a military version of the Constellation that was President Dwight Eisenhower’s personal airplane between 1954 and 1961, when he left office. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christened it "Columbine III" in honor of the official flower of Colorado, her adopted home state, on Nov. 24, 1954.

Photo: U.S. Air Force Photo

The Lockheed VC-121E is a military version of the Constellation...

President Dwight Eisenhower's Lockheed VC-121E "Columbine III" is shown at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Photo: U.S. Air Force Photo

President Dwight Eisenhower's Lockheed VC-121E "Columbine III" is...

The first presidential jet was a Boeing VC-137B, a customized Boeing 707-120, delivered in 1959 and known as SAM (Special Air Missions) 970. Here, President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline disembark from the jet on May 31, 1961 at Paris Orly Airport.

Photo: -, AFP/Getty Images

The first presidential jet was a Boeing VC-137B, a customized...

SAM 970 carried presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Lynden Johnson, and Richard Nixon, as well as such VIPs such as Nikita Khrushchev and Henry Kissinger before its retirement in 1996. Here, Seattle Museum of Flight Foundation Chairman James Curtis (left), museum Executive Director Ralph Bufano Brigadier General Charles Wax of Andrews Air Force Base lead the way to the podium on June 17, 1996 for the ceremony at the museum to turn the airplane over on long-term loan from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Browning, a flight engineer, talks about the president's private area on board SAM 970 on June 17, 1996 at the Museum of Flight, in Seattle.

Photo: GRANT HALLER

Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Browning, a flight engineer, talks...

The interior of Boeing VC-137B SAM 970 is shown at the Museum of Flight, in Seattle.

Photo: Museum Of Flight

The interior of Boeing VC-137B SAM 970 is shown at the Museum of...

The interior of Boeing VC-137B SAM 970 is shown at the Museum of Flight, in Seattle.

Photo: Museum Of Flight

The interior of Boeing VC-137B SAM 970 is shown at the Museum of...

A detailing crew restores the shine to Boeing VC137 SAM 970 at the Museum of Flight's airpark on Tuesday, July 26, 2011.

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO

A detailing crew restores the shine to Boeing VC137 SAM 970 at the...

This Boeing VC-137C aircraft, SAM 26000, was the first jet made specifically for presidential use, according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. It entered service directly from the Boeing assembly line on Oct. 10, 1962. It flew Kennedy to Berlin in 1963 for his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" declaration. Later that year, it brought the president to Dallas for his ill-fated visit. Here, Kennedy's casket is loaded onto the jet after his assassination on Nov. 22, 1963.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

This Boeing VC-137C aircraft, SAM 26000, was the first jet made...

Lyndon B. Johnson takes the oath of office on board the Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 after John F. Kennedy's assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, on the same flight that carried Kennedy's body back to Washington, D.C.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

Lyndon B. Johnson takes the oath of office on board the Boeing...

President Lyndon B. Johnson in the presidential bedroom aboard the Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000. From left to right are Sen. Mike Mansfield, President Johnson, Chief Master Sgt. Paul Glynn, U.S. Navy Aide Capt. Beach and Sen. J. William Fulbright.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

President Lyndon B. Johnson in the presidential bedroom aboard the...

Former Presidents Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter stand on the steps in front of the Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000. President Nixon flew aboard SAM 26000 on his historic first visit by an American President to China, in February 1972, and on his visit to the Soviet Union in May 1972. It also served Nixon National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger on 13 trips to Paris for secret meetings with the North Vietnamese. Although it became the backup to SAM 27000 in December 1972, SAM 26000 went on to carry Presidents Ford, Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

The flight deck of the Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 is shown at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

The flight deck of the Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 is shown at the...

The Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 lands after its final flight on May 20, 1998, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

The Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 lands after its final flight on May...

The Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 is restored at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

The Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 is restored at the National Museum of...

The Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 is towed into the Presidential Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force after restoration.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

The Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 is towed into the Presidential Gallery...

President Ronald Reagan ordered the two 747-200s that now serve as the primary presidential aircraft, but they entered service after he left office. Here, Reagan throws a football toward the press on January 11, 1988 as he boards an unidentified Air Force One, probably SAM 27000, to return to Washington. D.C.

Photo: JEROME DELAY, AFP/Getty Images

President Ronald Reagan ordered the two 747-200s that now serve as...

The fuselage of SAM 27000 is trucked from San Bernardino Airport to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on June 21, 2003 in Simi Valley, California.

Photo: David McNew, Getty Images

The fuselage of SAM 27000 is trucked from San Bernardino Airport to...

Before we get to the 747s, it's worth noting that several other airplanes have carried presidents, although they were not the primary presidential aircraft. They, too, served as "Air Force One," since that designation refers to any Air Force airplane carrying the president. President Dwight Eisenhower used this Aero Commander U-4B from 1956 to 1960 for short trips. It was the smallest Air Force One, the first presidential aircraft to have only two engines and the first to carry the familiar blue and white paint scheme.

Photo: U.S. Air Force Photo

Before we get to the 747s, it's worth noting that several other...

This presidentail Aero Commander U-4B is shown at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Photo: U.S. Air Force Photo

This presidentail Aero Commander U-4B is shown at the National...

This Beech VC-6A entered in service in early 1966 and, during its early career, carried President Lyndon Johnson and members of his family between Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, and the Johnson family ranch. During that time, the aircraft became informally known as the “Lady Bird Special.”

Photo: U.S. Air Force

This Beech VC-6A entered in service in early 1966 and, during its...

This Lockheed VC-140B Jetstar carried Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan a number of times. It ended its 26 years of service when it was flown to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on July 16, 1987.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

This Lockheed VC-140B Jetstar carried Presidents Richard Nixon,...

Here, President Bill Clinton walks out of a U.S. Air Force Gulfstream C-20, a military version of a Gulfstream III, on Sept. 25, 2000, at Santa Fe City Airport.

Photo: PAUL J. RICHARDS, AFP/Getty Images

Here, President Bill Clinton walks out of a U.S. Air Force...

The two current primary presidential aircraft are Boeing 747-200B-based VC-25A jets known as SAM 28000 and 29000 that entered service in 1990. Here, an unspecified one of the jets departs from Andrews Air Force Base in Camp Springs, Md., on March 18, 2000, carrying President Bill Clinton on an eight-day trip to Asia to visit India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images

The two current primary presidential aircraft are Boeing...

President Bill Clinton talks by phone from his office aboard an unspecified Air Force One on November 2, 1997.

Photo: PAUL J. RICHARDS, AFP/Getty Images

President Bill Clinton talks by phone from his office aboard an...

President George W. Bush talks on the phone with New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani and Gov. George Pataki aboard Air Force One on September 11, 2001.

Photo: DOUG MILLS, AFP/Getty Images

President George W. Bush talks on the phone with New York Mayor...

President George W. Bush walks down the steps of Air Force One as he arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, in Maryland, on September 11, 2001.

Photo: DOUG MILLS, AFP/Getty Images

President George W. Bush walks down the steps of Air Force One as...

President Barack Obama waves as he exits Air Force One at Paine Field in Everett on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012.

The two Boeing 747-200s that serve as Air Force One, carrying the president of the United States around the world, will reach the end of their planned 30-year service lives in 2017. So the Air Force is looking into new rides.

This seemed like a good chance for us to take a look back at presidential airplanes through the years, starting with the Douglas Aircraft VC-54C "Sacred Cow" that served Franklin D. Roosevelt (Roosevelt was the first president to fly while in office, traveling to the Casablanca Conference in 1943 aboard a commercial Boeing 314 Clipper Ship). Click through the gallery above for the look back, and read on for more on possible new jets.

The Air Force isn't taking bids yet. Rather, it's "conducting market research to identify potential sources that possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience to deliver the required capabilities" for new presidential jets. "Responses to this survey will be used to influence the program's acquisition strategy."

The new jets would be scheduled for delivery in 2021, at the earliest.

The Air Force says it's interested in a four-engine wide-body commercial aircraft. This limits the choice to the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental or Airbus A380, although Airbus has said it's not interested. Theoretically, another company could buy 747-8s from Boeing and then modify them for the government.

One problem for Boeing is that the company has outstanding orders for just 23 747-8 Intercontinentals and 30 of the freighter variants. This means it would run out of planes to build in 2016, five years before delivery of the first new presidential jet, analyst Scott Hamilton noted.

Hamilton also asked whether the president really needs a four-engine airliner. These days, twin-engine airplanes "are incredibly reliable," he wrote, noting that the Boeing 777-300ER "has a dispatch reliability second to none as far as we can tell. ...

The 777 certainly doesn't have the panache of the 747, but operationally there certainly is nothing wrong with the airplane and engines and there is no question about the line being open to 2020 or even somewhat beyond.